Ex-Fallonites Launch Maine Agency

Published on September 12, 2003.

Former Fallon/Minneapolis art directors Tom Riddle and Dan Bryant have announced that they will launch a new agency called "Make:" in a pretty unlikely place -- Portland, Maine. "Tom and I have both been doing this for 14 years apiece, and we've chased a lot of jobs," Bryant explains. "It came time to reevalute that and put some roots down, and make a commitment to a place. Maine was always at the top of my list." Both Bryant, who has been freelancing since leaving Fallon two years ago, and Riddle -- who departed last month after six years that included work on the agency's lauded BMW Films campaign -- have family in the area. "The big thing for me and Dan was family," Riddle says. "I had the dream job at Fallon so it was more of a personal move. We saw an opportunity where we could create something up here."

Make: will not restrict itself to regional clients, however. "We definitely want to keep our eyes on a bigger horizon," says Bryant, acknowledging that he and Riddle will likely have to take their expertise to clients rather than luring clients up to Portland, which is about two hours north of Boston. "We don't want to reinvent the wheel as far as agency structure, but we do want to streamline the process, focus on integration and do good stuff." Riddle, who spent two years at Fallon's design wing, Duffy Design, emphasizes that the new shop will focus on more than just print and TV and aim to create brand experiences that include everything from brand identity to product design, something he says "Fallon does pretty well."

Riddle also credits his Fallon experience with the decision to set up shop in a place as picturesque -- if off the beaten path -- as Portland. "To me, that's exactly what Fallon is about," he says. "Minneapolis has a good quality of life and you can do great work, too. We wanted to find someplace where we could mix those two."